Digital Commons Network^™

Meta-Modelling The European Environmental Information Space, Werner Pillmann, Karl-Heinz Simon

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

In this paper a conceptual Meta-Model is presented with the aim to structure environmental information, relevant for the environmental part of sustainable development. It is focused on crucial environmental information flows handled in the discipline of Environmental Informatics. The introduced structure is a conceptual systems dynamics type model which describes the natural environment (air, water, soil, climate etc.), the private sector (industry, trade, transport etc.) and households. It uses the input-output presentation where causeeffect chains and information feedback paths are considered. The Meta-Model brings together substantial information about environmental indicators from different areas and organizations, the knowledge about levels of …

Towards Adaptive Control Of Landscape Biodiversity, J. Gary Polhill, Andrew Jarvis, Alessandro Gimona, Nicholas M. Gotts

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

This paper reports work using a coupled agent-based model of land use changeand species metacommunity model (FEARLUS-SPOMM) to explore biodiversity incentivemechanisms using adaptive control algorithms. Existing work at the LancasterEnvironment Centre has shown that such algorithms can help in analysing the adaptivecapabilities of climate-related policy interventions under uncertainty. In particular,feedback control is a practical approach that mimics many recognisable features of adaptivedecision making processes, including the sequential review of models and policies in thelight of new observations. In a companion paper, we show that FEARLUS-SPOMM showsnonlinear dynamics in the relationship between agricultural incentives and biodiversityoutcome. In this pilot study, we …

Decision Support For Stakeholders, William Silvert

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Decision Support Systems (DSS) offer more transparency than traditionalmodelling approaches but are designed for use by government agents to use in theregulatory process. Stakeholders are in the position of looking over the shoulder of theperson in charge, and while this is better than just waiting for answers it still separates themfrom the modelling process. If stakeholders were actually able to operate a DSS bythemselves it could increase transparency, build confidence, and create possibilities for newapproaches to environmentally significant developments which could benefit all partiesconcerned. This talk describes three simple DSS programs for aquaculture siting, two forfinfish and one for shellfish, …

Decision Support For Stakeholders, William Silvert

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Decision Support Systems (DSS) offer more transparency than traditionalmodelling approaches but are designed for use by government agents to use in theregulatory process. Stakeholders are in the position of looking over the shoulder of theperson in charge, and while this is better than just waiting for answers it still separates themfrom the modelling process. If stakeholders were actually able to operate a DSS bythemselves it could increase transparency, build confidence, and create possibilities for newapproaches to environmentally significant developments which could benefit all partiesconcerned. This talk describes three simple DSS programs for aquaculture siting, two forfinfish and one for shellfish, …

Empathy: A Unifying Approach To Address The Dilemma Of 'Environment Versus Economy', A. Guergachi, O. Ngenyama, V. Magness, J. Hakim

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

When environmentalists warned, back in the 1970s, against pesticides andfertilizers, the then United States Secretary of Agriculture retorted that “before we go backto organic agriculture, somebody is going to have to decide what 50 million people we aregoing to let starve”. This exchange is nothing but an illustration of the dilemmatic choicethat societies in general have been asked to make: “develop the economy” or “protect theenvironment”. This paper proposes an integrated framework to resolve the dilemma of'environment versus economy'. This framework unfolds the essential characteristics ofsustainable societies and outlines the mechanics that underlie sustainable development.Referred to as ‘General Theory of …

Modelling Needs Assessment For Social Adaptation To Climate Change In Siberia, G. A. Alexandrov, G. Inoue, T. Matsunaga

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Despite the common expectation that climate change may make Siberia a warm heaven, this would not be good for local people. Surprisingly the people of Siberia do rely on the winter cold. Warming may be a serious challenge here. Climate change threatens Siberian forests, lakes and permafrost. In the region where landscapes are unstable this implies the risks of losing the traditional means of subsistence, at least for a while. Social adaptation to climate change is becoming an urgent issue, as the first signs of warming are becoming noticeable to local people. This article reports an attempt to explore the …

The Northern-Global Climate Change Adaptation Dialogue, J. I. Maclellan

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Although climate change adaptation can occur over various political, social, and institutionalscales, the majority of adaptation decisions take place at the local level where an intimate understanding ofthe particularities of local circumstances (i.e. successful responses to past extremes events) exist alongsidea lack of formalised expertise in projecting and analyzing future possibilities. The relationship between theexperts who produce counterfactual knowledge, and the individuals who apply it, is thus central to thechallenge of responding to climate change successfully. I present a deliberately polarized caricature of thisrelationship in an attempt to facilitate knowledge exchange (i.e. to identify barriers to knowledgeexchange). Through bibliometric analysis …

Development Of Data-Driven Models For The Assessment Of Macroinvertebrates In Rivers In Flanders, Gert Everaert, Ine S. Pauwels, Peter L. M. Goethals

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The Flemish Environment Agency (VMM) has been gathering water quality andbiological data in more than 1000 sites per year since 1989. These data have been used todevelop predictive models for macroinvertebrates based on data-driven methods (regressiontrees). These models relate the river status to the Multimetric Macroinvertebrate Index Flanders(MMIF), which is a score system developed to report in the context of the European WaterFramework Directive. The trees have been developed in the R software, and severaloptimisations have been made by altering the dataset (variable and record selections). Modelswere evaluated based on mathematical criteria, ecological insight and user convenience (clarity,simplicity and coupling-potential …

Fuzzy Logic Based Iedsss For Environmental Risk Assessment And Management, A. Zabeo, Elena Semenzin, S. Torresan, Stefania Gottardo, L. Pizzol, J. Rizzi, S. Giove, A. Critto, Antonio Marcomini

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Environmental problems and the related adaptation strategies have grown in importance and complexity during the last years. The large amount of data and information that needs to be handled and integrated requires specific methodologies and tools. Several research and application activities are undergoing worldwide for the development of Decision Support Systems (DSSs) that allow management of multiple and different data in order to aid decision-making. In this paper the following DSSs using fuzzy models based Artificial Intelligence to address environmental problems will be presented. SYRIADE is a Spatial DSS for Regional Risk Assessment of degraded land supporting the inventory and …

Advances In The Integration Of Watershed And Lake Modeling In The Lake Winnipeg Basin, Luis F. León, William Booty, I. Wong, Craig Mccrimmon, S. J. Melles, G. Benoy, J. Vanrobaeys

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Estimating non-point source pollution from watersheds and the effects of mitigation measures (e.g. beneficial management practices or BMPs) is an important step in managing and protecting water quality, not only at the basin level where it originates, but also at the receiving waters such as reservoirs, lakes or oceans. Lake Winnipeg is a prime example of such land-lake interactions, where eutrophication and increased algal blooms in the lake are fueled, as evidence suggests, from agricultural sources of nutrients in the region. Over the years, simulation models at the watershed level have been applied to aid in the understanding and management …

Habitat Models As A Research Gap In Biodiversity Conservation In Tropical Rain Forest Of Southeast Asia, Mona Nazeri, Jusoff Kamaruzzaman, Nima Madani

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

Tropical rain forests, the richest terrestrial ecosystem on earth are disappearing due to land use changes mainly agricultural activities and timber logging. Habitat alteration and as a result fragmentation have direct effect on species survival trough lose of connectivity between suitable habitats. Without a doubt the traditional strategies for protecting different wildlife species in this region was not successful enough to guarantee the survival of remaining biodiversity. Distribution modelling which, very little has been studied in the region, is significantly important for biodiversity conservation programs. Distribution data can determine all the areas that can have high potential of occupancy by …

Spatio-Temporal Modelling Of The Spread Of Common Reed On The Finnish Coast, Anas Altartouri, Ari Jolma, Päivi Korpinen

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The common reed (Phragmites Australis) has overtaken the Finnish coast of theGulf of Finland in many places influencing the coastal ecology and reducing therecreational value of the coast. Our research aims at developing a spatio-temporalsimulation model of the spread of reed. In order to account for the dynamic nature of thespread, a cellular automata model is employed. We investigate in depth the explanatoryvariables and their relevance to the phenomenon. It was found that water depth, proximityto river mouths, and sea openness are significant explanatory variables of the phenomenon.A predictive logistic regression model is suggested to aggregate the explanatory variablesand provide …

Modelling Human Health By Levels Of Biological Organization, Wilfred R. Cuff, Clifford Clark, Paulette Richard, Venkata R S K Duvvuri

International Congress on Environmental Modelling and Software

The hierarchy of levels in the organization of matter, or the “hierarchy of life”, is a fundamentalconcept in biology, and biologists are used to thinking about their work asbeing at a particular level. Yet medicine, in both research and application, operatessomewhat independently of this concept, working almost exclusively at levels at or belowthe individual. Through the relatively-recent expansion of epidemiology, medicinedoes reach up to the level of the population - but medicine at higher levels of biologicalorganization remains under-developed. In this paper we review the biological idea ofhierarchy of life and explore what medical research and practice might look like …

The Role Of Gender In Single Vs Married Individuals With Bipolar Disorder., Daniel Z Lieberman, Suena H Massey, Frederick K Goodwin

Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Despite the importance of marriage as a source of social support, it has been largely neglected in studies of bipolar disorder; and differential effects on men and women have not been explored.

METHODS: Data on episodes of depression, mania, and mixed states were collected for the previous 2 years from a sample of 282 bipolar individuals using the National Institute of Mental Health Life Chart Methodology.

RESULTS: Effects unique to women included the following: Bipolar women were significantly more likely to be married. Married women had fewer episodes of depression during the past 2 years than never-married women, and …

Volume 3, 2010, Csusb

Scholarship in Action newsletter

What to look for in this issue...

• Faculty Research
  • Interview- Dr. Davida Fischman p.1
• Awards p.3
• From the Director
  • Interim Director of ORSP, Dr. Ellen Shimakawa p.4
• Mark You Calendar!
  • Funding Opportunities p.6
• Presentations, Publications, Exhibitions and Performances p.8
• Upcoming Workshop p.11
• Contact Info p.12

Large Mammal Subsistence At Archaeological Site 1ba21, Lindsay Lagrange

Anthropology Undergraduate Senior Theses

For thousands of years American Indians lived and survived in the southeastern part of North America. They used traditional hunting technologies to capture and kill many different species of animals which furnished protein in their diet and raw material for manufacture of clothing and tools. These animals include hundreds of different species of fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians and mammals. While these diets were varied depending on geographic location and social affiliation, archaeologists have found patterns in the diets of the Southeastern Indians. They have found and continue to find that many American Indians in the Southeast were eating copious amounts …

Family Functioning And The Development Of Trust And Intimacy Among Adolescents In Residential Treatment, Kenneth M. Coll, Stephanie Powell, Patti Thobro, Robin Haas

Counselor Education Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study examined relations between family cohesion and adaptability (as measured by the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scales-III) and the formation of trust and intimacy (assessed with the Measure of Psychosocial Development) among adolescents in residential treatment. Bivariate correlation revealed a significant association between family cohesion and adaptability and psychosocial stages of trust and intimacy. Regression analyses revealed that family cohesion predicted trust, and that trust is significantly influential in the formation of intimacy. Discussion and treatment implications are included.

Farewell To An Old Friend: Remembering Antony Flew, Gary R. Habermas

Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary (1973-2015)

No abstract provided.

Mcquade Messenger- Summer 2010, Merrimack College

McQuade Messenger

Triannual newsletter outlining the activities, events, hours, features, and resources available at McQuade Library. Summer 2010, 3 pages.

Baselines Newsletter, No. 6, Summer/Fall 2010, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center

Baselines: The Natural Resources Law Center Newsletter (2007-2011)

No abstract provided.

A Model To Evaluate Economic Effects Of Fishery Management Measures: How Would A Change In Total Allowable Catch For Monterey Groundfish Affect The Local Economy?, Monica Galligan

SNS Master's Theses

The research question addressed by this thesis is: if a modification to the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act enabled an increase in Total Allowable Catch for a single species in the US West Coast groundfish fishery, what would be the direct and indirect economic effects on Monterey County, California? I used primary and secondary industry sources to build an Input/Output table reflecting the Monterey County economy, then calculated economic multipliers from this Input/Output table. I then calculated the likely increase in catch of relevant species (the species of focus and those that co-occur with it) and used recent ex-vessel …

Macalester Today Summer 2010, Macalester College

Macalester Today

No abstract provided.

The Toll Of Toxics: Investigating Environmental Contaminants, Donald Sparling, Barnett A. Rattner, John S. Barclay

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Two recent events [the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the Asarco settlement] bring to the fore the work of wildlife toxicologists. Focusing on amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals, wildlife toxicology is a component of ecotoxicology--the study of toxic effects caused by natural or synthetic pollutants on living organisms and other constituents of ecosystems (Truhaut 1977). Now a distinct discipline within the wildlife profession-practiced by members of The Wildlife Society's own Wildlife Toxicology Working Group, among others-wildlife toxicology has become increasingly important as human populations and industry have spread, causing contaminants to multiply.

Emerging Environmental Contaminants (EECs) include an array of …

Couching Race In The Global Era : Intra-Asian Racism In Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon = 全球化年代的種族表述 : 從《臥虎藏龍》看亞洲內部的種族主義, Nick Kaldis

Journal of Modern Literature in Chinese 現代中文文學學報

No abstract provided.

Anthropology And Child Development: A Cross-Cultural Reader, Marcia Mikulak

Anthropology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Requests Of Brown By Lc Classification: June2010, Ruth E.. Souto

HELIN Monthly Loan Statistics

Requests of Brown from other HELIN libraries - June 2010

Politics Of The Headscarf In Turkey: Masculinities, Feminism, And The Construction Of Collective Identities, Valorie K. Vojdik

Scholarly Works

No abstract provided.

Population Models With Allee Effect: A New Model, Saber Elaydi, Robert J. Sacker

Mathematics Faculty Research

In this paper we develop several mathematical models of Allee effects. We start by defining the Allee effect as a phenomenon in which individual fitness increases with increasing density. Based on this biological assumption, we develop several fitness functions that produce corresponding models with Allee effects. In particular, a rational fitness function yields a new mathematical model that is our focus of study. Then we study the dynamics of 2-periodic systems with Allee effects and show the existence of an asymptotically stable 2-periodic carrying capacity.

Migratory Bird Hunting Activity And Harvest During The 2008 And 2009 Hunting Seasons, Robert V. Raftovich, Khristi Wilkins, Kenneth D. Richkus, Sheri S. Williams, Howard L. Spriggs

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

National surveys of migratory bird hunters were conducted during the 2008 and 2009 hunting seasons. Hunters of the following types of migratory birds were surveyed: waterfowl (family Anatidae), doves (mourning [Zenaida macroura] and white-winged [Z. asiatica]), bandtailed pigeon (Patagioenas fasciata), American woodcock (Scolopax minor), Wilson’s snipe (Gallinago delicata), American coot (Fulica americana), gallinules (Common moorhen [Gallinula chloropus] and purple gallinule [Porzana carolina]), and rails (king rail [Rallus elegans], clapper rail [R. longirostris], Virginia rail [R. limicola], and …

Implementing The American Woodcock Conservation Plan- Progress To Date

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Executive Summary

To achieve the goals set forth in the American Woodcock Conservation Plan, published in 2008, the Wildlife Management Institute and its partnering agencies and organizations have launched four regional habitat initiatives in the primary breeding range of the American woodcock, which spans eastern North America from Atlantic Canada to the Great Lakes.

Since the 1960s the woodcock population has fallen by about 1.2 percent each year, largely because the birds’ preferred habitat – young, brushy forest – has dwindled. Many states now classify the woodcock as a “species of greatest conservation need.” Conservation biologists consider the woodcock to …